Thickening or solidifying mineral oils.



UNITED STATES PAT T @FFIQE.

HEINRICH HELBING AND FRANCIS WILLIAM PASSMORE, OFLONDON,

' ENGLAND.

THICKENING OR SOLIDIFYING MINERAL OlLS.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,010, dated January 15, 1901.

Application filed June 25,1900. Serial 21,434- No specimens.)

To all wltom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, HEINRICH HELBING and FRANCIS \VILLIAM PASSMORE, consult:

ing chemists, of 63 Queen Victoria street, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Thickening or solidification of Mineral Oilsfof which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in the thickening or solidification of liquid petroleum-oils, par'aflin, and the like.

For many purposes the conversion of the liquid portion of petroleum-oils into a solid mass is a most desirable object and has hitherto been effected by the addition of absorbcnt materials like sawdust or by the incorporation with the oil ofsolid substances, such as resin orsoap or coal-dust, or by a combination of all methods. In all these cases a relatively large quantity of material must be added to produce the desired effect, and this renders the product useless or too costly for many purposes to which a solidified petroleum could otherwise be put.

According to our invention we convert liquid petroleum into a thickened or solid mass by mixing it with a concentrated aqueous solution of a salt of casein, preferably the sodium salt. The amount of casein salt necessary to bring about this transformation is rel atively very small, and consequently the resulting'produ'ct can be put to uses to which so-called solidified petroleums as hitherto made could not be applied.

In some cases we may add formic aldehyde to the thickened or solidified product in order to obtain a more permanent and complete solidification, the etfect of the formic aldehyde being to render the solidified petroleum harder. t v

It will be understood that we do not limit ourselves to any particular proportions of ingl'edients.

By way of example we may add to twenty parts ofcasein one hundred parts of decinormal caustic-soda solution or a sulficiency to obtain a substantially neutral solution thereof, applying heat cautiously for dissolving. To the stitf gelatinous solution are added at first drop by drop and subsequently more rapidly with constant stirring in an emulsion mortar or by suitable mechanical means one thousand parts of petroleum. found necessary to add during the incorporation of the petroleum, according to the charactor of the petroleum -oil used, from time to time a small quantity of water to obtain complete emnlsitication. Generally the ad dition of about five parts of water to"one formic aldehyde is likewise at once turnedinto molds and left to harden' It will be The relative proportions of the ingredients may, as above mentioned, vary according to the particular kind of product which it is desired to obtain.,

What we claim, and desire to secure by Let-- ters'Patent, is

1. The process of thickening,or solidifying, a petroleum-oil, which consists in treating the same with casein, held in aqueous solution by a solvent.

2. The processof thickening, or solidifying a petroleum-oil which consists in treating the same with an aqueous solution of an alkaline salt of casein.

3. The process of thickening or solidifying a petroleum-oil which consists in treating the same with an aqueous solution of a sodium salt of casein. v

4. A composition of matter consisting of a petroleum thickened, or solidified, by casein, held in solution by a solvent.

5. A composition of matter, consisting of a petroleum, thickened, or solidified by an aqueous solution of an alkaline salt of casein. 6. A composition of'matter consisting of a petroleum, thickened, or solidified, by an aqueous solution of a sodium salt of casein.

7; The method or process of thickening or solidifying a petroleum-oil, which consists in too first treating the same with a, salt of casein in aqueous solution and than hardening the same by nmuis of formic aldehyde.

8. The method or process of iliickening or solidifyingzi petroleum-oil which consistg in treating the sumo with sodium salt of casein in aqueous solution and than hardening lry moans of formic aldehydev 9. As a new product a caseinaied formaldeliycied petroleum, being a body insoluble in water, and having no melting-point, but; from which petroleum may be extracted by l l l l l distillation and having at color similar to Hm color of the petroleum used in its production but less transparent.

In witness whereof we lmvoherounbo signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. HEINRICH Elllhllililn.

l RAKUIS 'li'lLlilMl PASSMHR'S.

\Viinesws:

THO. ms L. W II'ITEUIQAD, ROBERT M. SPEARPOINZE. 

